Ty kept the case exactly where Rusuf told him to keep it.
That took more effort than standing still should have. The rail under the wheels had gone quiet after Igloo Nation, but the case carried its own stubborn weight. Meltwater ran under Ty's boots. His wrapped hand throbbed above his heart while his good palm stayed pressed to the frame.
The cut in the ice widened by another hair.
JJ stood between Ty and the wall with her sword angled low. Blue stayed at the rear guide, eyes moving between the case wheels and the thin line in the ice. Nobody stepped closer to the wall.
"I heard Rusuf, and I dislike how calm he sounded," JJ said. "Calm people near sliced walls make my shoulders suspicious."
Rusuf's voice came through the line, thin and close.
"Your shoulders are correct to object to this wall," he said. "The wall has pressure blades buried around the rail seam."
